A particular requirement in such devices is that of separately compacting the various objects depending on the type of object that needs to be compacted, and then separately collecting the various types of compacted objects.
During the compacting operation, the objects are compressed to occupy less space and separately collected, for example each type of waste is collected in a specific container.
The cycle of compaction and separate collection becomes necessary and vital in the treatment of waste produced by a population.
Treating of waste for its reuse requires separate collection and increased optimization of the management of the waste produced in the domestic environment and other areas.
Consequently there is an increasing requirement of compacting a greater number of types of waste and separately collecting them when they have been compacted.
EP 1707345 describes a waste compacting unit capable of separately compacting different objects like plastic containers and metal containers, and separately collecting these objects after compacting. More particularly, each type of object can be compacted with an appropriate compression cycle in a compacting chamber that is dedicated to a type of waste. Successively, the compacted objects are discharged into specific containers, which have been aligned with an assigned compacting chamber.
The height of the space occupied by the compacting chamber and the lower collection containers notably influences the accommodation of the compacting device in required locations. In fact, the height of this space becomes relevant in those devices of reduced height, for example devices with height less than 50 cm, which need to be located under washing basins of kitchen units or in other locations where the available height is limited.
The bottom surfaces of the compacting chamber support the objects during the compacting operation, and are opened during, or after, the final stage of the compression, to allow the compacted objects to fall into the respective collecting containers.
The bottom surfaces can be portions of hinged structures that rotate to be opened so that the compacted object falls into a container. The hinged structures when rotating occupy space which is above or within the collecting container. The height of this space becomes particularly relevant when designing the size of the waste compacting unit. This space influences the above mentioned space for accommodation of the compacting device in required locations. In some cases the waste compacting unit also needs to be adjacent to waste grinding units like those described in WO2008000510, therefore also the width of the compacting device should not be considerably influenced by the solution for supporting the objects to be compacted.
In addition, solutions are required for assisting and optimizing loading of the object to be compacted by a user.